Being human
by Wing Moon
Summary: Uther greatest flaw was that he was trying to be human whilst being a king.


Summary: Uther greatest flaw was that he was trying to be human whilst being a king.

**Warning:** Spoiler for season 2, episodes 7: The Witch Finder

I don't own Merlin. Also thanks to xoxLewrahxox for editing my story!

Finally this story is challenge I took form s i l v e r a u r o r a.

Enjoy and please review!

**Being Human**

Everyone expects a king to have no flaws, to be unstoppable, to be _inhuman_.

So, if a King doesn't deliver these expectations, his subjects will think that their King isn't as powerful as they first expected and therefore start to doubt his capability of running a kingdom.

A king has to be isolated; his friend silence is his _only _friend**.**

A king can never show any emotion.

A King can never be human because if they show any sign of weakness that would be their end. Not only the end of their rule would come, but everyone they love will suffer due to the shame that will bestowed upon the family.

However, being inhuman does have it consequences for example you can never really have any friends.

Everyone is your enemy and like the famous quote: 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer". You can trust no one.

You must never show any emotion because even the slightest crack can rip apart everything that you have worked so hard for. On the other hand, there are some emotions you can show such as: disappointment, anger, rage or anything that shows that you are capable to be a king.

These are the rules that cannot be broken, no matter how difficult the situation is. If you want to a successful king, you are compelled to obey these rules. You cannot do some and ignore the rest. If you do that then it is suicide which all Kings should know.

However, that was what Uther Pendragon did. He chose the rules for which he would follow and believed that whatever the consequences were for these rules that they would not affect him.

Uther Pendragon sat on his throne observing his son pacing back and forth in front of him. He knew his son wanted to yell at him and force him to do something to stop this madness. However, Uther realized that if he complied with Arthur's wishes, he would be caring, and therefore nothing would be done to prevent this situation.

When Arthur had stopped pacing in front him, he apprehended that his son was either going to yell at him, or finally leave him alone. He wished it was the second, but he known that his son was opinionated and therefore it could be the first.

"What is wrong with you?" Arthur muttered, but you could hear bitterness in his tone.

Uther knew that if he opened his mouth, unwanted emotion would spill out into the open.

This just increased Arthur's fury more. The reply that didn't come forced Arthur to say more, to make him understand that is having a negative effect on his kingdom.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" he asked as calmly as possible as he felt his anger starting to boil over.

Uther still didn't say anything and Arthur grew more determined to make him comprehend what he was doing to his kingdom. He explained his opinions and gave reasons, yet his father stared at him emotionless. However, his reasons wouldn't get through to his father, he felt that he couldn't control himself anymore even if it was his father and the King of Camelot, he could not just watch an innocent man die because of this.

So, he started to yell at his father until he was red in face. However, Uther still stared at him with no emotion displayed upon his features.

Arthur looked at disgust at his father as he was losing this battle. He turned around, leaving his father alone. Before he closed the door behind him, he said one last thing quietly since he knew yelling wouldn't work and he just wanted Uther to understand how bad the consequences would be if Uther didn't prevent this. Not only would Uther be letting him down, he would also be letting down Gaius. He knew how much Gaius really meant to him and that was why Arthur was fighting so hard to save the only friend Uther really had and could rely on. He knew that if roles reversed and he was in this position, he would want his father to help him before he lost everything. He wouldn't want to be stuck with silence being his only friend.

"Sometimes I wonder if you were ever human! How could you let your friend die like this? I am beginning to think that you have a heart like stone and that you never care for anyone but yourself. I hope I never become like you, not willing to acknowledge my son's concerns. You sit on your throne thinking that you are unstoppable. All I want is for you to understand that this makes you seem ungrateful, and that you are damaging your kingdom."

Then the doors closed and Uther was left with his friend 'silence' once more.

Uther stared from where he sat on the throne to where Arthur had just left. He hoped that Arthur was lying when he said that he was going to become a king that did care. Didn't he know that was how Uther got into mess? He used to care whilst trying to be just. He suddenly got out his chair but was halted by a voice from behind him.

"You shouldn't listen to him. I think you handled this perfectly."

Uther glanced around as he watched the man leaning against a pillar. The witch finder was watching with an unreadable expression in his eyes as he walked towards the king.

Uther's eyes widened.

When did he arrive? Was he a sorcerer? Was everyone he knew a sorcerer?

He felt the man put a hand on his shoulder as he whispered into his ear:  
"Don't worry! I know that Gaius is your friend, but all the evidence that you have shows that he is a sorcerer."

Uther pushed the man's hand off him as he felt something twist inside him. Before he could stop himself, he heard himself hiss at the man.

"Gaius is a friend and my most trusted ally, unlike some people that I am starting to doubt right now, _Aredian_."

The other man snorted as he watched Uther with an intense gaze.

"Really? Then why is he being sentenced to his death then? If you trust him so much, then why Uther Pendragon is your friend going to his _death?_ Or is your hate for magic more powerful than any friendship you ever had?" Aredian questioned.

That hit Uther more than any other attack he had ever encountered. However, to not show any weakness he composed himself to make sure that no emotions were displayed in his body language.

Aredian silenced himself as he reached for something in his pocket and pulled it out. Uther was not able to stop himself from gasping, when he saw what was in Aredian's hand, but he couldn't help himself as he asked quietly:  
"Where did you get that?"

Aredian let a smile form on his lips.

"Remember when we first met? You were going to buy this for your wife to celebrate the birth of your son."

Of course, how could he forget? His hand, having a mind of its own went to take the cloth from Aredian. Once it was in his hand, he started to trace the fabric in his hand. Igraine would have loved it.

"Too bad that you couldn't have given it to her."

He felt his hand clench around the fabric as he tried to regain control of the emotion raging inside him. Aredian put his hand again on Uther's shoulder as he reminded Uther that:  
"Remember Uther magic is evil. That what you told me and I remember it because it is true, no matter where it comes from."

Aredian allowed his hand drop to his side as he strolled towards the doors where Arthur just left a few moments previously. Before he opened the door, he glanced at Uther and said:  
"You said yourself you had no room for magic and that is why you hired me. So, I could get rid of it for you. We are an unstoppable force Uther Pendragon, so don't feel bad. Also, don't take what your son said to heart. "

000

"_This is the part where you run away."_ Thought Uther as his hand clenched the baloney handles as he watched the preparation for the execution.

He wished that he could tell Gaius that; he attempted several times to go down the stairs to the dungeon where Gaius stayed. However, he knew that he couldn't bring himself to say it to him. He couldn't bend the rules just for one person even if that person was the most loyal friend he ever had.

He gripped the handle tighter as he thought about what going to happen tomorrow.

This was why there are rules for being King. This was why you had to follow all of them before something like this happens.

Something caught Uther's eye and this made him leave his trail of thought. Arthur's manservant stood in front of where the execution was to be made the following day. He could feel the frustration and hopelessness of the situation. For the first time in a long time Uther prayed because he knew if anyone could help Gaius it would be Arthur's manservant. He knew that Arthur's manservant tried many times to prove that Gaius was innocent; however, there was too little evidence. Even though, he had thought about it more, he couldn't bring himself to take the evidence, since a small part him felt that Gaius was guilty and should be killed. That is the same small part that yelled in the back of his head that he should have killed Gaius a long time ago with the rest of those _creatures. _Luckily for him, he was able to ignore that part up until now when everything was falling apart.

Uther was again brought out of his thoughts when he felt something boring into his soul. His eyes met with fierce eyes from Arthur's manservant, he was watching from the ground as Uther just stood there.

Anger filled Merlin, as he wished more than anything that he let Uther die when he found out that Morgana was planning to kill him when Gwen's father died. He felt the magic pour out of him as he got ready to tear away Uther's arrogance, and bring Arthur to throne. His eyes flashed golden as he opened his mouth and started to chant the words.

However, he stopped in midway as he shook his head. He wasn't going to be inhuman like Uther. He was going to use magic, but he was going to bring down Aredian since he was the one who was blocking his way from saving Gaius. He gave Uther one glare before he started to walk away from repulsive man that was called a King.

Uther's eyes never left Arthur's manservant as he walked away. Uther understood that the manservant wanted to kill him on the spot as he could have sworn that there was a powerful aura surrounding the man as he started to utter something under his breath. Uther knew that he could easily flee, but some part of him wanted Arthur's manservant to kill him and to take revenge. If Arthur's manservant did kill him, then Uther wouldn't have to feel these dagger-like emotions yearning to escape him.

When the execution preparation was complete, Uther excused himself as he desired to get some sleep.

000

The king stared at the wall as he sat there in silence. He knew Arthur's manservant could find something sufficient to prevent Gaius's fate. He recalls how Arthur stopped Aredian from burning Gaius alive. He felt relief fill inside him as he thought to himself that he knew it that Arthur's manservant could find something.

When everyone was gathered in the throne room to hear what Arthur's manservant had to say to help Gaius. Arthur's manservant started to explain his evidence to Uther.

When one of the witness told Uther that if he didn't give the juice from which he got from the witch finder then he would be burn to the stack. For the first time Uther realize maybe there was something wrong with Aredian. However, he still felt he couldn't use this proof to really get Gaius from being executed. He still felt that Aredian was innocent knowing really that in his heart that he didn't want to wrong about magic. That if he tied himself with a man that used his justice for greed and power he couldn't live with that fact hovering over him. Yet, still there was something suspicious about him, therefore, Arthur, Merlin and Uther had no choice but to go and investigate.

They found all the proof that was required: bracelet falling out the closet, the portion from which the illusion came from the people who thought they saw sorcery and the frog coming out his mouth.

Nonetheless, fate had its own way of correcting evil, and as Aredian was about to kill Morgana as he held her hostage the knife he holding near her neck as he walked slowly away from them got hot as he let go. When he let go he tripped over a box near the window that he fall through to his death.

How could he not see that Aredian was the one that was the sorcerer not Gaius? He felt himself the collapse in the armchair as his face twisted from disgust for himself.

How could he be so stupid not to see that his friend would never do magic to hurt him or kingdom especially when Gaius gave up that once he became court physician under Uther's rule?

However, what more was painful than that was the betrayed look Gaius gave him when he went to visit him after Aredian fell out of the window and died. When he entered the room he got the feeling that he was not welcome. The betrayed look Gaius gave him as he said that he suffered in his hands. He knew then that their friendship took a big blow and was never, or going to take a long time to fix.

He knew he deserved it, but he wished he could get out this silence, since it was killing him.

He understood now that it was never going to change, that the silence was now the only company that he was going to have.

He has to take the consequences for breaking the rules now, and his punishment is to suffer in silence.

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The End

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